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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/27314596">Hallowe'en Heist</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/bonniesgoldengirl/pseuds/Wallflower'>Wallflower (bonniesgoldengirl)</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Peaky Blinders (TV)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Brooklyn Nine-Nine (TV) References, Halloween, Halloween heist, Other, Swearing, Workplace, gender neutral reader</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-11-01</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-10-31</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-06 21:00:53</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Not Rated</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>2</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>6,968</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/27314596</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/bonniesgoldengirl/pseuds/Wallflower</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>When several employees of the Shelby Company (and one from Solomons Bakery) are forced to stay late to finish work, the reader and John find a way to keep things lively</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Esme Shelby/John Shelby</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>9</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Part 1</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>This is a modern AU where the characters compete in a Hallowe'en Heist, like in Brooklyn Nine Nine. This is also my way of introducing teo of my OCs, Ezekiel Jesus (Daryl McCormack) and Ruth Jesus (no face claim yet). I hope ye like them, as well as this mini fic. Happy Hallowe'en!<br/>Can also be found on tumblr @bonniesgoldengirl <br/>Do not repost my work</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Despite being an adult, working on Hallowe'en still sucks. It's the one night of the year when you can dress up, get drunk and eat sweets with minimal judgement. Instead, you have to work until 10:00 P.M. Thankfully, it's now 9, so you only have to stick around for another hour before you can go home or maybe out with your friends.</p><p>You are currently on the third floor with John and Finn Shelby, the Jesus siblings — Ezekiel, Isaiah and Ruth, and some bloke named Ollie that works for Alfie Solomons, who is one floor up doing business with the older Shelby brothers, as well as their aunt, Polly Gray. </p><p>You can see that everyone else is getting agitated. Isaiah and Ruth are bickering outside John's office, and Ezekiel, the oldest sibling, is trying his hardest to calm them down. Despite being usually the most chilled out of the trio, you can see he's ready to snap at both of them. You can't blame him. They may be some of your best friends, but they can drive you mad at times.</p><p>You know that you're going to have to help him stop them winding each other up, and one of the best ways to do that is to distract them. In fact, all your friends could use a distraction.</p><p>"Where are we going when we're done here?" You call across the room to the three siblings. All three turn to look at you, quickly forgetting about their argument. Isaiah gives you a shrug.</p><p>"Suppose we'll head to the Garrison." You sigh in exasperation and roll your eyes.</p><p>"We're always at the Garrison," you complain, "can't we do something interesting? It's Hallowe'en!"</p><p>He chuckles at you. "Why would we celebrate Hallowe'en? We're not children."</p><p>"That doesn't mean that we can't have fun." Ruth cuts in. She's getting sick of the Garrison too.</p><p>Isaiah smirks down at her condescendingly.</p><p>"Well, if you little ones want to go trick or treating, be my guest."</p><p>Ruth glares at him for that and kicks him in the shin. He lets out a shout of pain and lifts his leg up to rub the area his younger sister kicked. Ezekiel pulls her back and scolds her for her immaturity, even though he knows it's futile. She'll eventually go for him again when he pisses her off. Clearly your method to distract them hasn't worked yet.</p><p>"What about you, 'Zeke? What do you want to do?" You ask him.</p><p>"I need a fuckin' drink," he grumbles, looking between his younger siblings to see if either of them were going to hit the other.</p><p>You should've seen that one coming. After dealing with Ruth and Isaiah for hours, of course all he wants to do is go for a drink.</p><p>"Right then, that's two for the pub and two for doing something actually fun," both men roll their eyes at your choice of words, "we need a tiebreaker. Where's Finn?"</p><p>You all take a quick look around and see Finn coming back from the toilet. The youngest Shelby seems to be in a world of his own as he walks to his stack of paperwork, until he feels eyes on him. He looks up to see all four of his closest friends staring at him.</p><p>"....What?" He asks cautiously. He has a feeling this won't be good.</p><p>"What do you want to do after work, Finny?" You ask him, using your sweetest voice to get him on your side.</p><p>"I don't know. What are the options?"</p><p>"Well," Ruth starts, "these two want to go to the Garrison, like always, because they're boring." Both lads glare at their younger sister, who smiles innocently at them in return. "But Y/N and I want to try something different tonight. It is Hallowe'en, after all. Don't you want to join us, Finny?"</p><p>"Not if you keep calling me that," he mutters. You resist the urge to roll your eyes at him.</p><p>"We promise we'll stop if you pick us, Finn." You put extra emphasis on his name. This time, he's the one trying to not roll his eyes.</p><p>"Well then?" Isaiah asks, "what do you want?"</p><p>Finn looks between the four of you, before his eyes finally settle on the brothers.</p><p>"I want to go to the Garrison." You and Ruth let out matching groans as Isaiah cheers in joy and Ezekiel grins. The blokes pull the youngest Shelby towards them and have a group hug.</p><p>"Prats," Ruth mutters to herself. You chuckle at her.</p><p>"Fuck it, guess we're going drinking again."</p><p>A light ding silences everyone in the room, and you all turn to see the doors to the lift slide open. Off the lift steps your bosses, Tommy Shelby, Arthur Shelby and Polly Gray, and their 'associate' Alfie Solomons. Tommy steps off first and looks at all of you.</p><p>"There's been a change of plans," he announces, surveying the room, "we have more business to sort with Mr. Solomons. Everyone here needs to stay until 12 at least."</p><p>"Are you serious?" Finn splutters, looking outraged at his older brother, and you can understand why. Last call at the Garrison is at 11, and even though Finn is a Shelby, that doesn't guarantee that any of you will be drinking there tonight. If his brothers need him and the rest of you early in the morning then they might refuse to let you drink.</p><p>"Yes, Finn, I am serious." Tommy glares at him. The youngest Shelby just sighs, and his shoulders droop. You all know there's no point arguing with Tommy; it's impossible to change his mind. "Where's John?"</p><p>"In his office." You reply.</p><p>"John!" Arthur shouts, "come out here!"</p><p>On the other side of the open floor, John's office door opens, and out he steps with Ollie on his heels, a hopeful expression on both of their faces. Clearly they aren't enjoying each other's company.</p><p>"You and the kids are staying 'til 12." Tommy informs him, and you do your best not to grumble at being called a kid. John, unlike Finn, has no problem standing up to Tommy.</p><p>"Not a fucking chance," he snaps, face scrunching up like it always does when he's angry, "I'm going home at half 10."</p><p>"John-"</p><p>"Esme will have my balls if I'm home any later-"</p><p>"John-"</p><p>"And I'm not sticking around for another hour and a half while you lot get to leave earlier!" John's face is completely red now and spit is flying out of his mouth with each word, but Polly shuts him down. </p><p>"You're fucking staying here while we finish our business." She snaps, eyes like ice, piercing through her nephew. "You and your wife will have to put up with it."</p><p>John may be reckless enough to argue with Tommy, but the devil himself would bite his tongue to avoid an argument with Polly Gray. </p><p>Throughout this exchange, you stopped paying attention to the outsider in the group. Ollie, in the middle of this argument, dropped his hopeful look and replaced it with one filled with desperation.</p><p>"Do I need to stay too, Alfie?" His tone is pitiful. It nearly makes you wonder how he can be Solomons' right-hand man, but you know spending over an hour alone with John Shelby can be taxing. He's a great man to hang around with when he likes you, but if he doesn't, or if he isn't sure of you, he can drive you absolutely mad. He has endless energy and one too many inappropriate jokes that can make an evening with him an absolute nightmare. You can only assume that he's been terrorising the poor bloke.</p><p>"Yeah, Ollie, you're sticking around 'ere," You've never spoken to Alfie Solomons, but you've been around him enough times to know that it's best not to piss him off either. Ollie knows that as well, which is why he simply nods and tries to hide the distressed look on his face. You feel for him, you really do. At least you can go straight home after work, but he and Alfie have to take a train back down to London.</p><p>"We'll be back when we're done. Stay here until then." With that, they all re-enter the lift and leave.</p><p>There's a moment of silence as each of you stare at the closed doors of the elevator, before John stomps back into his office, slamming the door behind him. You all share a look, except for Ollie, who has no idea what to do with himself. Realising that someone needs to check on John, you move to his door as your friends get back to their paperwork.</p><p>You knock on his office door, waiting for him to say "enter" before you walk in. When he does, you find him slumped over his desk, staring at the phone in his hand.</p><p>"What's got you so moody?" You ask him. As someone who's grown up around the Shelby's, you often find it difficult to be formal and professional when speaking to them in your place of work, even though they are your bosses. John is one of the easiest one's to be casual around.</p><p>"I was supposed to be going home soon, wasn't I?" He grumbles, "'til Tommy ruined it."</p><p>"You work late often enough though, why is tonight different?"</p><p>"Cuz it's Hallowe'en and I have kids to be with."</p><p>"It's late, John. They'll have gone trick or treating ages ago," You point out, "you haven't missed anything."</p><p>"Except all the games they play when they get back to the house, and all the stories they have." He sighs, running his fingers through his hair. "I won't even be there to put them to bed." It's at this point that you notice just how dejected John looks. You feel bad for thinking that he was just pissed off at having to work longer and not realising that he just wants to spend the night with his family like a normal dad.</p><p>"I'm sorry." He waves you off absentmindedly.</p><p>"It's not your fault, kid."</p><p>"I'm not a kid."</p><p>"Yes, you are." You roll your eyes at him, and he grins, but it doesn't meet his eyes. Feeling the need to comfort the man, you plop down into the chair across from him, unsure of what to do, other than offer your company.</p><p>"Don't you have work to do?" He asks when he sees that you intend to stay with him. You shrug in return.</p><p>"Not much. If we're staying here for another few hours then I still have loads of time to finish it." If you said that to any of your other bosses, they would tell you to get back to work or get fired, but John has always been a kid at heart. That's why he lets you stay in your seat. He doesn't even start doing any of his work, choosing instead to unlock his phone and scroll through it. You pull your own one out of your pocket and follow his lead, understanding that he's not in the mood to talk.</p><p>However, after ten minutes of complete silence and him still looking upset, you know that you have to do something to cheer him up. You rack your brain as you scroll through YouTube, barely paying any attention to the contents on the screen, until you come across a video that sparks an idea.</p><p>"Hey, John?" He grunts in acknowledgement. "Have you ever seen Brooklyn Nine Nine?" He shoots you a bemused look.</p><p>"Yeah, it's that cop show." He replies. "It's good enough, why?" He's met with a giddy smile.</p><p>"Have you seen the heist episodes?"</p><p>"Yeah..."</p><p>"Wanna have a heist?"</p><p>"What?" John chokes out, half amused, half shocked. You know he thinks your joking, but you've caught his attention and you can't stop now.</p><p>"A Hallowe'en Heist!" You exclaim, already excited. "Like what they do in the show."</p><p>"Y/N, that show is fictional." John reminds you.</p><p>"I know that, but the heists aren't impossible to do in real life." You stand up, all of a sudden too worked up to stay seated, "We just need an object to steal and whoever has it when we're done work is the winner. We can get everyone out there involved as well, and we can be in teams, and we'll be the team captains."</p><p>You're rambling now, eyes wide and hands flying all over the place. John watches you from his comfortable looking office chair, lips parted in surprise. You can see that you're getting through to him. John Shelby is always up for a childish game, no matter how hard he tries to repress it. There's still a smudge of doubt in those icy eyes though.</p><p>"What are we playing for?" You stop then, unsure of what he could want.</p><p>"Pride?" You try, but he snorts, "Money? No, booze! No wait!" He looks at you expectantly. "If you win," you pause dramatically, waiting until John urges you on impatiently, "I tell Esme that it's my fault you had to stay late tonight." And like that, John's eyes light up, like his children's do during this holiday.</p><p>"Fuck, yes!" John leaps to his feet, hand stretching out to shake yours and seal the deal, but cleverly, he halts it. "Wait, that's if I win, what do you want?" You smirk at that, a prize already thought of.</p><p>"If I win," he leans forward, eyes narrowing in suspicion, "the Garrison stays open for as long as my friends and I want it to for one night of my choosing." John blinks, then chuckles. He obviously expected something much worse.</p><p>"Is that all? I'll just go drinking with you then." But your smirk doesn't waver.</p><p>"Oh, you'll be there, alright. But you'll be the one serving us," His eyes are wide again, fearing the words he knows are coming, "and you're not allowed to drink for the whole night." He lets out a curse in disbelief, so you add, "and you're washing up."</p><p>"You're fuckin' evil," he spits, but nevertheless, he extends his arm fully. You take his hand in yours and give it a firm shake. With the deal struck, all that is left to do is get everyone else involved. You turn on your heel and rip open the door to his office.</p><p>"Lads!" You call, your tone catching their attention, "get in here." They all stop what they're doing and enter the office quickly. You're about to close the door again, when you spot Ollie staring at you with a lost expression on his face, unsure whether you want him to join as well. After a second of thinking, you add, "you too."</p><p>The five of them stand in a straight line, facing you and John, who's placed himself on one side of his desk. You move to the other, using it as a border between you.</p><p>"Well," you begin, "none of us want to be here. We all had plans for the rest of the night that have now been cancelled." There are mumbled agreements from them. "So, John and I have decided, for the sake of the morale of the employees of this company, and the employee of our allies' company," you nod to Ollie, who just looks confused, "we're going to play a game!" Every single person in the room looks at you as if you've grown a second head, but this does little to discourage you.</p><p>"What game?" Finn asks, actually looking quite interested, but obviously trying not to.</p><p>"A heist game." John tells them.</p><p>"A Hallowe'en Heist! Like in Brooklyn Nine Nine!"</p><p>"Y/N, that's-" Ruth starts, but you shut her down before she can continue.</p><p>"Yeah, I know it's a fictional show. John already made that argument, and I still won." Aside from Finn, no one looks convinced, so you sigh and look to John for help.</p><p>"Look, lads, we're here for the next few hours, and we have fuck all to do, so why not?" Isaiah and Ezekiel share a look, then look at Ruth, before they all shrug and turn back to you two.</p><p>"Alright then, how do we start?" 'Zeke queries.</p><p>"We pick teams," John explains, "and I'm picking first."</p><p>"Why you?" He shoots you a half-hearted glare.</p><p>"Because I can send you all back to work in a second if I want to." You huff, but say nothing. John surveys your friends, before making his first choice.</p><p>"Isaiah." Clever pick. Isaiah is fast, strong and competitive.</p><p>"I'm your brother!" Finn protests, but he is ignored.</p><p>"Ruth." She's at your side in an instant. Like her older brother, Ruth is also fast and competitive, but unlike him, she's short and can fit almost anywhere.</p><p>"I got you this job!" Once again, Finn is ignored.</p><p>"Ezekiel." Strong, intelligent, works well under pressure. The Jesus siblings have a lot of strengths.</p><p>"For fucks' sake!"</p><p>"Shut up, Finn. I'm picking you now." The youngest Shelby shoots you a dirty look as he joins your team. Finn loves to prove himself, so you're sure he can be helpful. That and you have no idea what Ollie is useful for.</p><p>"And that leaves me with Ollie." The man in question looks at John incredulously.</p><p>"I'm not taking part in this," he's already backing towards the door as he speaks, "it's stupid and reckless."</p><p>"Yeah, and if you get him, then the teams are unfair." Ruth pipes up from beside you. You nod in agreement.</p><p>"I don't care," John answers her, "I picked first, so I get him. And you," he's addressing Ollie now, who's halfway out the door, "what are you gonna do? Sit out there on your own? Or do you want to actually do something fun to pass the time?" The young man looks at the Shelby brother, then sighs in defeat.</p><p>"You're not gonna give me much of a choice, are you?" John shakes his head.</p><p>"We'll just blame you for any mess we cause if you don't join in." Annoyance flashes in Ollie's eyes, but he gives in anyway.</p><p>"Fine, then. I'll be on your team." Your teammates groan at the unfairness as Ollie joins your competitor.</p><p>But, just as John shoots you a smug smirk, a miracle happens. The elevator lets out a 'ping', signifying that someone is getting off on this floor, and every occupant of the room holds their breath, fearing that the Shelby's have returned much sooner than planned. They'll kill you all if they see no one is doing any work. You all rush out the door to try and make it look as if you're busy, but each of you freeze when the doors slide open. Instead of a Shelby or Solomons though, out of the metal box steps Bonnie Gold, hands in his pockets and looking around, until his eyes land on your little group. His eyebrows crease in confusion when he realises that none of you are working.</p><p>"What's going on here?" What can only be described as a maniacal grin illuminates your face as John looks at him in despair, knowing exactly what you're about to do.</p><p>"Bonnie, do you want to play a game?" The confused look doesn't leave Bonnie's face when you ask him that.</p><p>"I'm a bit busy right now, I need to talk to Tommy."</p><p>"He won't be back until 12. We're only playing until then anyway, so join us."</p><p>"What are you playing?" He still looks a bit unsure, probably a bit scared by your excitement. You can't blame him. You've only known Bonnie for a year, but you haven't spent a lot of time with him, so he's never seen you this animated before.</p><p>"We're playing a heist game."</p><p>"Like in Brooklyn Nine Nine." Ruth adds.</p><p>"I've never seen that."</p><p>"It doesn't matter," you tell him, "all you need to know is that we're in two teams and whoever has the chosen object by the end of the night is the winner." He nods at that. "And you can be on my team!"</p><p>"That's not fair!" John complains, "If I knew he was an option then I wouldn't have picked Ollie." Ollie looks offended, but John just ignores him.</p><p>"Well, tough luck." You stick your tongue out at him. He replies with his middle finger.</p><p>"What's the object?" Bonnie's question stops you from throwing something at John. There's a moment of silence as you all look at each other blankly. You hadn't thought about that. You scan the room for anything special to use, finding only staplers and pens.</p><p>"Oh, wait!" Ruth runs to her desk and pulls open one of the drawers, "we can use this!" She holds up an item wrapped in a white handkerchief. Removing it, she reveals a gold pocket watch, ticking away in her hand.</p><p>"Tommy's pocket watch?" Finn splutters, suddenly nervous about messing around with his older brother's possessions.</p><p>"Yeah, he sent it to be repaired, and Arthur picked it up for him, but he left it by my desk. I was holding on to it and forgot to give it to him earlier."</p><p>"We can't use that." Ezekiel protests, just as nervous as Finn now.</p><p>"Why not? It's not like anyone from this century uses them anymore."</p><p>"Except for Tommy!"</p><p>"We all know Tommy was born in the 1800s though." You joke, trying to lighten the mood again. Ezekiel just scoffs at you, but raises his hands in surrender.</p><p>"Fine," he concedes, "but if it gets broken, I'm not taking the blame. What does the winning team get?"</p><p>"If my team wins, we get to stay as late as we want in the Garrison, while the other team serves us and cleans up after us, and if your team wins, we will do your paperwork for two weeks. Plus, I'll tell Esme that it's my fault John had to stay late tonight." While this isn't exactly what you and John had agreed on, you both failed to think about what your teammates will get if they win. You look at him to see if he has any problem with it, but he just nods at you in approval. The only objection comes from Ollie.</p><p>"I don't work here, how are you supposed to do my paperwork?"</p><p>"Don't worry about it, Ollie, your team won't be winning." John scoffs at your reply.</p><p>"Are we seriously doing this?" Isaiah asks, somehow looking both giddy and exasperated. You and John share a smirk.</p><p>"Yeah, we are."</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Part 2</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>The heist begins, and very quickly spirals out of control. Who will be the winner, or will there be one at all?</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>This has not been proof read, due to me running out of time to post it, but I really hope you guys enjoy it, because I've never written so many words before, and this is my first fic. 6961 words overall! That's amazing! Happy Hallowe'en everyone!<br/>Can also be found on tumblr @bonniesgoldengirl <br/>Do not repost my work</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>At 10 PM, when you were supposed to be done work, the heist starts. Tommy's pocket watch has been locked inside a supply closet, and the key was pushed under the door by John after.</p>
<p>His team sits in his office, plotting their way to steal the pocket watch and keep it until midnight. Yours sits out in the open at your desk, doing the exact same thing as your competitors. A downside to them being in the office is that you can't see any of them with the door closed. At least Arthur's office on the fourth floor has glass windows that you can see into, but everyone else just has walls. However, if you can't see him, then he can't see you, or so you've been told.</p>
<p>"He can't access the cameras anymore," Finn had told you when Ruth pointed them out, "he kept fucking around and spying on people when he was supposed to be working, so Tommy removed his laptop from the devices that can access them." You hope that's still true.</p>
<p>At 9:59, you're all in position. Finn has pulled down one of the ceiling tiles out of sight from John's closed door, and now Ruth is standing on a table, preparing to climb up into it and get into the supply closet from there. You know it's easy to get around and into different parts of this floor because, well, you and Ruth decided to try it one night, while under the influence of alcohol and stupidity. Bonnie stands next to her, ready to lift her up. She's too short to reach the ceiling by herself without risking an injury. Finn has the ceiling tile in his hands, ready to cover it back up when Ruth is up there.</p>
<p>The alarm you've set to go off at 10 vibrates, and you shut it off immediately, not wanting to risk the group in the office hearing it. You nod to Bonnie, who lifts Ruth up by the hips. She grasps the edges of the tiles and hoists herself up and into the dark abyss. To her credit, she manages to crawl around up there without making much noise, save for the occasional thump here and there from her quick movements.</p>
<p>You follow along underneath her until you are in front of the locked door. This is where she makes the most amount of noise. You hear her removing a ceiling tile to get down from, then her feet clang against the metal shelves inside. At this point you're nervous, not because of the game, but because Ruth has to get down from the ceiling by herself. The plan is for her to climb down the shelves and get the pocket watch, then use the key to get out the door, but there's no guarantee that she can do it safely. You listen intently as her feet slowly move down the shelves, until finally they smack against the floor. Victory!</p>
<p>A quick glance at John's door shows no sign of movement, and you strain your ears for any sound, but it's completely silent. Too silent.</p>
<p>"Yes!" Ruth's muffled voice draws your attention away from the other team. She's found the pocket watch. The next sound is of the key in the lock, clicking quietly as it twists inside and unlocks the door. Out she steps, covered in dust and cobwebs, holding in her hand the shiny gold pocket watch in one hand, and the key in the other. She beams at you in pride, a look you return.</p>
<p>"Got the watch! What do we do with the key?"</p>
<p>"Lock the door again, but we'll keep it with us. If they do the same thing we did, then they won't be able to get out that way." Handing you Tommy's pocket watch, she turns to lock the door again, pocketing the key. You, meanwhile, take the pocket watch to your desk, putting it in one of the drawers. Unfortunately, there's no lock on it, so Bonnie stands in front of it, like planned.</p>
<p>Ruth and Finn join you and Bonnie at your desk.</p>
<p>"Um, Ruth?" Bonnie's just noticed her dishevelled appearance, "you've got dust all over you." Ruth's face drops.</p>
<p>"Fuck!" She starts brushing all the dirt and dust off of her clothes and hair. You try your best to clean off her back, swiping away at anything clinging to her blouse, but plenty of it seems to stick to her. It doesn't look so bad on her black jeans, but it's noticeable on her red top.</p>
<p>The two boys stand there, unsure of how to help, other than the odd "you missed a bit" every now and again. Once you have removed all you can from her clothes, you start to help pick the cobwebs out of her hair.</p>
<p>Suddenly, a shrill alarm rings through the floor, followed by the sprinkler system dousing the room in water. Panic rises within you as you look around for any smoke or fire, but find none. John, Ollie, Isaiah and Ezekiel burst out of the office, all just as frightened and soaked as you are.</p>
<p>"Where's it coming from?" You scream over the alarm.</p>
<p>"I don't know!" John shouts back.</p>
<p>The third floor is mostly open plan. The only rooms on it are John's office, the men's toilets, the women's toilets, and the supply closet.</p>
<p>"Check the toilets." You instruct Bonnie and Finn, voice raised, so they hear you over the screech of the fire alarm. They rush off, trying their best not to slip in the nearly flooded office.</p>
<p>"The closet." You pull Ruth with you to the locked door as she fishes out the key from her drenched jean pocket. Her hands shake from the cold, but she manages to get the key in the lock and twist it. Once it's unlocked, she tugs the door open, but there is no flame or smoke inside. The only thing in there that shouldn't be is a piece of paper taped to the shelf that has the word "DUMBASS" scratched across it in sloppy handwriting.</p>
<p>It's a trap.</p>
<p>Spinning around so fast that you nearly slip, you turn just in time to see Isaiah sprint into John's office, the door slamming behind him.</p>
<p>"NO!" You screech, running to the door and twisting the handle. But it's locked. At that moment, the alarm cuts off and the sprinkler system finally stops spraying water everywhere. By now, the floor is flooded and you're soaked to the bone, shivering as you try in vain to open the door. With the alarm off, you can hear laughter from inside the room.</p>
<p>Finn and Bonnie return to you and Ruth, both shaking and panting.</p>
<p>"There's no fire in the loo's." Bonnie tells you.</p>
<p>"Wasn't in the closet either, just this note." Ruth shows them the smudged writing on the paper, and Finn curses.</p>
<p>"There wasn't a fire at all! John has the controls in his office!"</p>
<p>"Tommy gave John control of the fire alarm?" You ask, bewildered. You wouldn't trust John with a light switch, so how did Tommy think this was a good idea?</p>
<p>"What else can he do from in there?" Bonnie questions Finn quietly, reminding you all that you're still right outside his office door. Your team backs away as Finn explains the full extent of John's power.</p>
<p>"The control panel in his office controls the lights, heating, fire alarm, sprinkler system, electricity and Wi-Fi."</p>
<p>"I can't believe he set off the fire alarm just to win this game." Bonnie mutters. You snort at him.</p>
<p>"I'm surprised he didn't actually set something on fire." Bonnie looks t you, surprised. "What?" You ask, "it's John, he sets fires to feel joy."</p>
<p>"What do we do now?" Ruth cuts in before Bonnie can say anything.</p>
<p>"Plan B." Finn pulls out his phone, but looks at you unsurely.</p>
<p>"Are you sure? The floor is soaked. If we call them here, they could get hurt."</p>
<p>"And we'll blame that on John." You reply. Finn gives you one last look, but goes ahead and rings the number. You turn to the other two, who are both still dripping wet.</p>
<p>"John hasn't turned off the heat yet, wanna go dry off by the rads?"</p>
<p>--</p>
<p>At 11:09, Plan B comes into play. The four of you are still sitting by the rads, clothes and hair still damp, but you're no longer shivering. The floor remains covered in puddles, and none of you even know where to begin in drying it up. Ruth looks miserable, now that the dirt has become wet in her hair and is soaked into her curls.</p>
<p>But she brightens up as the elevator lets out a 'ding' for the third time tonight. John's door unlocks again, his head poking out to look at the lift, then to your group.</p>
<p>"Are they back?" He asks. "Have we won."</p>
<p>Perhaps the look on your face is too innocent as you shrug your shoulders, because John glares at you in suspicion, then turns back to the lift as the doors open.</p>
<p>Out pours 5 children, screaming and running around in cute costumes. They're followed by Esme and a stroller, where the two youngest Shelby's rest. Esme takes one look around, before her eyes lock on to John, and they turn into slits. John, to be fair to him, looks sheepish. He gives her a small wave to try and lighten the mood.</p>
<p>"What the fuck happened in here?" She snaps, her glare hotter than any fire John could have set.</p>
<p>"Right after we invited you over, John set off the sprinklers." Ruth tells her before John can say anything. He splutters, trying to argue with us, but his wife is having none of it.</p>
<p>"You fuckin' flooded the place when you knew your children were coming?" She seethes, pushing the stroller forward until she's right in front of her husband, who exits the office, leaving the door ajar. From the radiator, you can see the faces of Isaiah and Ezekiel peering out of the office, watching the couple argue.</p>
<p>"I didn't know they were coming!" John swears, looking nervous of his wife's anger.</p>
<p>"He told me to call you, Esme." To his credit, Finn's lie sounds completely convincing, which is why Esme looks even more furious now.</p>
<p>"And you're still not even trying to round them up! They could hurt themselves, John!" He snaps out of his fearful demeanor then, and looks around at the five children playing throughout the room.</p>
<p>"Lads!" He calls into the office, "c'mon and help!" At that, your team is on their feet, chasing after John's gaggle of kids carefully. The children squeal in delight and run faster, loving that the adults are playing with them now. You chase after Reggie, John's second oldest child, who's dressed up as a Stormtrooper for the second year in a row. Despite being older and taller than him, you have trouble keeping up. His pace lacks the cautiousness of yours, his young mind not afraid of falling over.</p>
<p>You glance up for a second, to see Isaiah and Ezekiel have left the office and are now trying to catch Katie, the eldest child. Perfect!</p>
<p>"Bonnie, go!" You shout to your teammate closest to the office. The boxer darts into the room and snatches the pocket watch off of John's desk, easily bowling over Ollie, who makes a feeble attempt to stop him. However, the moment Bonnie steps outside, Isaiah tackles him to the floor. The watch skids across the water, landing beside Esme's feet, who kicks it in front of her, coincidentally between Ruth and Ezekiel. Ruth dives for it, clutching the object to her chest as her oldest brother picks her up with one hand, the other fighting hers for the watch.</p>
<p>No one is trying to grab the children anymore, who have picked up on our game. The little rascals are now crowding Ruth and Ezekiel, taking sides and begging to be involved. Instead of handing it to one of them, though, Ruth gives it to Finn, who appears from behind Ezekiel, surprising him enough that he doesn't have the chance to push the Shelby away. With one hand holding on to his sister, Ezekiel is unable to chase Finn properly, giving the younger man the chance to rush across the room.</p>
<p>But at this point, Isaiah and Bonnie are up, with Isaiah closing in on Finn. Looking around, your blond teammate spots you, completely open. You give him a nod, so he throws the pocket watch to you. You step forward, eyes on the prize, reaching up to grab it, but out of nowhere, John jumps out and intercepts the pass, hitting the floor straight afterwards.</p>
<p>With nothing left to lose, you dive on top of him before he can get back up. It's now a wrestling match, with you trying to get the pocket watch out of his hand, and him trying to knock you off of his body. With the soaked floor, he has an easier job than you do, with your knees unable to stay in one place, threatening to slip out from under your body any second now. One hand holding the item above his head, he uses the other to push against your torso, his legs kicking out wildly, doing anything he can to win.</p>
<p>With one particularly strong shove, John knocks you to your side, scrambling to get up as quickly as possible, until:</p>
<p>"For fuck's sake, John!" Is shouted by Esme, catching her husband's attention. You take advantage of this distraction, getting up to your knees again and ripping the pocket watch out of his hand and sprinting to your desk. John quickly follows, ignoring Esme's fury. Panicking and having nowhere to run, you climb up on to your desk, holding the watch up in one hand to keep it as far from John as possible.</p>
<p>He tries to get up on the desk as well, but you kick at him whenever he gets close. Not wanting to get hit in the face, John circles you, looking for a way to get up before you can hit him. It proves futile, however, as he turns sharply one way, his feet slip out from under him, his back smacking against the wet floor.</p>
<p>He lies there, eyes clenched shut, a groan escaping his lips, loud enough to be heard over the madness. He doesn't move, staying like that for too long for this to be a normal fall. Concern grows within you, and you lower your hand, crouching down on the desk to look at him better.</p>
<p>"John?" No response. You look to Esme for help, only to realise his plot a second before it actually works. John jumps to his feet at the same time that you rise to yours, your hand going over your head once again. A scream of frustration escapes your pursuer, his blue eyes swimming with rage at you beating his tactic.</p>
<p>He reaches one last time, his other hand blocking your foot from connecting with his head, when one more 'ding' comes from the elevator. All eyes snap to the doors as two Shelby's, a Gray, and a Solomons stride in, stopping in their tracks at the wreckage before them. The floors are soaked, the desks have been moved, any electronic that isn't waterproof has been damaged, five children treat the place like their own personal playground, and the employees fight like animals.</p>
<p>Your eyes lock with the icy blues of Tommy Shelby, who spots you and John in the middle of it all, and you see him understand exactly who's responsible, and he's 100% right.</p>
<p>"What the fuck is going on here?" Polly Gray seethes, disbelief the only thing saving you all from her real temper. No one answers, even the kids have gone silent. You and Tommy maintain eye contact, and you know that he wants you to answer. With a gulo and a shaky breath, you do.</p>
<p>"Funny story, really," you laugh nervously, before you explain the whole night, starting from when they left. They look at you in shock, except for Tommy, as you describe the events of the night. "And we were only going to play until you got back-"</p>
<p>"You mean until midnight." John interrupts out of nowhere.</p>
<p>"No, it was until they got back!"</p>
<p>"It was midnight!"</p>
<p>A shrill ringing blasts into the air before you can argue back, but this time it's not from the fire alarm. It comes from inside your desk, from your phone, signalling the end of the game.</p>
<p>"It doesn't matter now," the grin overtakes your features as John looks at you in horror "because it's midnight, and I still have it."</p>
<p>You, Ruth, Finn and Bonnie let out a cheer, as Ezekiel and Isaiah hang their heads low, probably dreading all the paperwork they'll have to do. Your celebration is cut short when Tommy Shelby takes a step towards you, and another, until he stands before you, looking up at your raised hand, which now aches terribly.</p>
<p>"And what is 'it', Y/N?" You freeze. When you told them the story, you left out the object used for the heist. You don't answer him, so he repeats his question.</p>
<p>"What is 'it', Y/N?"</p>
<p>"Have I told you how handsome you are today, Mr. Shelby?" John holds back a laugh at your feeble attempt to distract your boss. Tommy just keeps staring at you until you lower your hand and open your fist, revealing to him his own pocket watch. He picks it up gently, finally breaking eye contact with you to study his possession. He doesn't speak again.</p>
<p>"Where's Ollie?" Mr. Solomons asks, looking around the mess. You look to John, who is glaring at his office door, until Ollie peers out from it, eyes landing on his boss with a look of desperation and fear.</p>
<p>"Fuckin' useless." You hear John mutter to himself.</p>
<p>"You have fun with the young ones then, Ollie?" Alfie asks, with what sounds like false kindness in his voice. Ollie shakes his head rapidly.</p>
<p>"They're fucking mad, Alfie." Solomons tuts at him, looking amused at our antics. From the way Arthur bites his lip, you can tell that he feels the same way. It's nice to know that some people find this funny. One person who really doesn't though, is Polly.</p>
<p>"All of you, get out! You're going to be working overtime for the next two weeks!" No one argues with her, instead we trudge towards the lift. Esme and John stay behind to round up their children and talk with the older Shelby's, and Ollie nearly clings to his boss. But as you pass Esme, you pause. She reaches into the basket underneath the stroller and pulls out a plastic crown, painted gold with fake rubies on it, and puts it on your head. John looks at her, outraged.</p>
<p>"You knew about this?"</p>
<p>"You really think any of us have the balls to lie to Esme Shelby?" You wink at him, before sauntering over to your friends in the lift. Feeling cocky, right before the doors close, you yell out:</p>
<p>"Happy Heist Day!" before ducking your head to avoid the scathing glare of Polly Gray.</p>
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